Most of us will need the services of an attorney sometime in our lives. From handling wills to real estate transactions to traffic violations and criminal offenses, law firms come in all sizes and shapes. In our culture, Americans tend to believe bigger is always better. However, in the case of law firms, this may not always be the case. In many cases, the most important legal decision a client must make is choosing the proper law firm to represent them. This can be the difference between a customized approach to your dilemma to a run-of-the mill plan with a foregone conclusion.

Today, many large law firms are in trouble. The larger the client, the better deal they are expecting and the lower the profit margin is for the firm. Large firms have huge overheads and many partners to feed. Thus, there is a limit to their ability to be flexible on billing solutions. Large firms have increased their fees substantially over the last few years to address this problem and many large customers are justifiably upset with this billing tactic. The very fact that the Association of Corporate Council has developed over recent years is a definitive indicator of this unease on the part of corporate customers.

Whenever the economy is tough, there are additional opportunities for smaller firms to steal away customers fed up with being bilked by larger firms. The work ethic of larger firms can be debilitating. Eighty hour weeks are more the norm than the exception. The lure of a unique practice with varied duties and opportunities can be very appealing to many large firm partners. Clients understand that there is a distinct advantage to the personal service many smaller firms can offer. Customer service is always in style and it is difficult to overstate the importance of these benefits to clients.

Attorney’s working in smaller firms tend to have a more relaxed and personal relationship with their clients that also reflects in their work. They can afford to care more about the outcome of their work. While large firms do have certain advantages, it is perhaps the most important client decision to determine what type of service will work best for them. More and more people are finding that the smaller law firms are fitting the bill.

More and more individuals and small companies are taking advantage of the legal sites now available at no cost or for small fees on the web. This approach is becoming an accepted alternative to keeping high priced attorneys on retainer. While it is vital to avoid certain pit-falls with this approach, many times web-based legal services are quite appropriate.

If you are enmeshed in a high stakes legal issue involving thousands of dollars, the best approach is to hire a prominent attorney to resolve your legal dilemma. The same is true with criminal issues and many complex tax issues. However, for run-of-the-mill simple legal services, the web is an excellent source for those with a tight budget.

Services range from simply a conduit to garner the correct legal forms to facilitate simplistic legal matters to an in-depth personalized approach with the services of an on-line attorney or paralegal. Some of the issues that can be readily handled by these alternatives to visiting a brick-and-mortar legal firm are: an uncontested divorce without children, legal separations or annulments, prenuptial agreements, separation agreements, custody documents, parenting plans, visitation agreements, child support issues, financial declarations, affidavits, business correspondence, demand letters, evictions, garnishments, resume & cover letters, quit claim deeds, promissory notes, rental contracts, probates and letters of Testamentary, wills, powers of attorney, codicils, health care directories and many more specific requirements.

There is also plenty of software firms offering legal forms and limited access to a paralegal. If you have a rudimentary understanding of the law and are conversant with the issues of your particular issue, then this can be an excellent source of low cost legal help.
Some of the software offered is simply general forms for common needs. However, it is also possible to purchase software geared specifically towards resolving a more intricate difficulty. Some of these issues are: Bankruptcy-for personal chapter 7 as well as chapter 13, no-fault uncontested divorce, employee handbook and HR legal forms, For Sale By Owner Home Sales, general business partnerships, legal forms for incorporating, land contracts, rental contracts, wills, and many more item specific software packages.

Each case and each need is different. If you are savvy enough to wade through some of the standard legaleze presented in these prepackaged presentations, it is entirely possible you can save big bucks for your efforts.

Just remember, there comes a time and place for you to realize that an expert is needed. If this becomes the case, pull out your checkbook and hire an attorney.

These are some listings I have put together of some great legal resources. Some of these links are meant to people seeking legal advice, other links are more geared towards lawyers.

American Bar Association – The leading association for lawyers in the United States with nearly 400,000 members. They provide law school accreditation, legal education, and programs that can assist judges and lawyers in their work.

Lawyer Labor Statistics – This is the Lawyer occupational outlook handbook provided by the United States of America Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is an interesting study showing that about 26 percent of lawyers are self-employed.

Harvard Law School – Harvard Law is one of the greatest law schools in the world. When you think of law schools, you think of Harvard Law. 1,900 students attend each year.

Yale Law School – Located in New Haven, Connecticut, Yale Law School is one of the premier law school’s in the entire world.

Business.com Law Directory – A great resource for other legal and lawyer resources. Business.com has a very large listing of resources.

Avoiding Bankruptcy Legally – This is an article from Findlaw that discusses budgeting techniques to avoid legal bankruptcy proceedings.

Law Firms

This section is a listing of some great law firms that I have had a pleasure of dealing with over the years. I will be updating this section from time to time.